The ABC's of ABC

ABC being Atlanta Bread Company. Now here's another restaurant that is seemingly healthy, but can have more fat and calories than meet the eye.

For starters, their salads have plenty of healthy ingredients that are both filling and light. However, once you slather them in one of ABC's many dressings, they no longer qualify as light and healthy choices. The garden and Caesar salads both average between 90 and 150 calories per salad, but that's without dressing. The chopstix chicken salad has a reasonable 240 calories in it, even with the noodles and almonds in it. The dressing, whether you go with the Asian sesame or choose another full fat dressing, on the other hand can add around 100 calories per 2oz serving. On average, we Americans tend to drown our lettuce in a bath of sweet or savory dressing, so I would factor in at least 2 servings of dressing (which is what mos salads are served with) unless you use it sparingly.


Their sandwiches CAN be healthy, but for most sandwiches, you have to tweak the menu a bit to make sure what you order is not a belt buster. Here's a few ideas for you:
-NIX the mayo! Leaving off the mayo can save you at least 100 calories!
-Lighten up on the cheese. Either ask for it with half the cheese or pick some of it off before you start eating. Each slice of cheese can have between 70-100 calories, so even taking off one slice can help you out tremendously.
-Stick with lean deli meats. Turkey, Ham, roast beef and pastrami are great, lower calorie/lower fat choices for sandwich meats, as opposed to chicken and tuna salads that have lots of mayo in them.

The soups are always a great choice for a hearty meal without the heart attack. The garden vegetable soup and French onion soup both have less than 100 calories per serving, so these are a great addition to any well crafted sandwich or salad. Just AVOID THE 500 calorie BREAD BOWL!!!

I hope this helps you navigate the menu at a place that looks healthy upon first glance, but can be worse for you than fast food if you aren't careful with what you order.